2010 - On June 2, 2010, ground was broken beside the Newell Apartments and the Colgate Community Garden became a reality. Two student interns (Stacey Marion and Rob Jeffrey) were hired to manage the garden.

2014 - The garden was moved from its location by the Newell Apartments to Route 12B, south of the Townhouse Community, to avoid frequent flooding and to provide room for a greenhouse.

2016 - The greenhouse collapsed due to Winter Storm Stella. While it is unfortunate, the garden team are currently thinking of exciting ideas with what to replace the greenhouse with.

2017 - The garden welcomed its new residents - honey bees! Students concerned with the local honey bee population collaborated with Chartwells, the university's dining services, to bring two beehives to the garden. This also resulted to the creation of theBeekeeping Clubwith president Isabel Dove '19 and club adviser Professor Ian Helfant (who owns 10 hives himself!).

Garden Updates

Mission of the Garden

Serve as an educational space providing student interns and campus community members first-hand opportunities to learn about gardening and small-scale agriculture.

Raise awareness of local food production, sustainable agriculture, and the campus food cycle.

Increase local food options available to students through a student-run farm stand on campus.

Serve as a place of interaction and positive engagement that further strengthens the bond within the Colgate community and with our Hamilton neighbors.

What do we grow?

Half of all we grow are donated to Hamilton Food Cupboard while the other half is divided among the dining hall and the weekly farm stand.

All produce

Tomatoes

Peppers

Onions

Eggplant

Cucumber

Zucchini

Squash

Carrots

Peas

Beans

Flowers

Watermelon

Kale

Lettuce

Swiss chard

Herbs

Kohlrabi

Pumpkins

Raspberries

Gourds

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Beets

Get Involved

To get involved with the community garden, get in touch with Green Thumbs, the student group primarily responsible for the garden and its operations. If you are interested in our apiary, contact the Beekeeping Club.

Activities in the garden:

• Potlucks for community plot members
• Work Parties
• Open Volunteer Hours
• Volunteer groups
• Student research projects